OK, so I posted a really long post, after 20 games, trying to figure out what was going on with the team. Remember that at the 20 game mark the Celts were floundering around .500.
Now the Celts sit at 25-15.
Here's how the Celts rank now in terms of team efficiency:
Offense - 8th
Defense - 2nd
Point differential - +7.1
That looks pretty good. Top 10 offense paired with a top 3 defense. Point differential moving toward +10.
Those are contender numbers.
Here's how the Celts rank in a number of important team stats:
Shooting/Scoring
EFG% - 6th
3PA - 3rd
FTA/FGA - 29th
FT% - 6th
PIP - 26th
Fastbreak - 7th
Defense - Shooting/Scoring
OEFG% - 4th
O3PA - 21st
OFTA/FG - 24th
OPIP - 5th
OFastbreak - 4th
Rebounding
OREB% - 18th
DREB% - 11th
Turnovers
TO/Poss - 4th
OTO/Poss - 6th
The shooting is much better than the last time I checked in on these stats. The Celts are at the top of the league in shooting efficiency. This paired with the high number of threes they take is getting them into the upper echelon of offensive efficiency.
They also get a good number of fast break points.
What they still don't do is get free throws or points in the paint. If they could somehow shoot the way they do and also get more free throws and points in the paint, they might have the best offense in the league. However, it just doesn't seem like it's in the cards with the way the team is built (and low FTA may be a feature of Brad Stevens teams).
Defensively, they're great in terms of keeping opponent shooting percentages down. They also limit opponent fast break points and points in the paint.
The rebounding has fallen off a bit -- they're no longer an elite defensive rebounding team, though the offensive rebounding is closer to the middle than the bottom. The injury to Baynes may have something to do with this.
In terms of turnovers, they're great. They force a good number of turnovers and they don't turn the ball over very much. That's absolutely key for a team that will have shooting droughts as an inevitable part of relying so much on jumpers for scoring.
Last time, I noted that a big part of the offensive issues were due to several of the Celts' highest volume shooters struggling from deep.
Things are looking a bit better in that regard:
Irving - 40.8%
Morris - 44.6%
Tatum - 36.7%
Rozier - 36.2%
Hayward - 33.8%
Smart - 34.2%
Horford - 36.9%
Brown - 29.7%
Most notably, Hayward is above the break-even point on threes, Horford is back above league average, and Brown is inching towards respectability. Marcus Smart, remarkably, is over the break-even point on threes -- which is not something I can remember happening in his whole career so far.
Overall, these stats are very encouraging. Somehow despite these improvements the Celts are still only the 5th ranked team in the East. However, at the pace theyre going, with their high point differential, there's good reason to think they could climb back into the top 3 by season's end if not sooner.
As always, fingers crossed for health. Let's hope Hayward and Brown continue to slowly round into form.
It'd be great if Tatum could continue to improve in terms of consistency and assertiveness in going to the basket.
One thing that concerns me is what happens if and when Marcus Morris falls off of his crazy hot shooting. That combined with the likely inevitable Marcus Smart cold streak from three could send the Celts back down into the doldrums offensively.
Topic: 40 Games In - 4 Factors (Read 1042 times)